Car-starter.



PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904.

11. J. WOOLGOTT.

GAR STARTER. APPLIUATION P ILED APR. 8, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented June '7', 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. WOOLOOTT, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,015, dated June 7, 1904.

Application filed April 8, 1903. Serial No. 151,606- (No model.)

This labor is fraught with difficulties and accidents, and the devices heretofore employed have been mefiicient.

The object of my invention is to produce an A efficient and positive device easily handled and not liable to get out of order.

I employ a bar of suitable length and a frame pivotally connected thereto. The frame carries transversely-placed dogs of angular or bell-crank-lever form pivoted thereto, which are so connected in the frame that they are adapted to fit over and rest upon the top of a railof ordinary form, and when pressure is applied to simultaneously grip the sides of the rail a position of rest effects a contact of the parts with the rail and pressure causes a gripping action, and the greater the pressure the firmer the grip. prefer to employ a series of dogs in pairs and to make the dogs spring-actuated and also to employ a spring between the frame and the bar.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section illustrating my improved car-starter as applied to a rail. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line m :r, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan. Fig. at is a cross-section similar to Fig. 2, showing the springs applied to the dogs.

The bar a, which in use becomes alever, is preferably provided with a tapering point at one end and a rounded handle portion at the opposite end. These bars in use are about five feet long.

6 represents a frame of rectangular form provided on the upper surface with lugs b b and with a pivot-pin 2. The bar passes between these lugs of the frame and is pivotallyconnected thereto near the pointed end by the pivot-pin 2. The under surface of the rectangular frame Z) is provided with lugs 7 for the pivot-pins l 5, and Iprefer to employ dogs 0 din pairs. These dogs are of L shape or bell-crank-lever form, and e represents the rail for the cars, which rail may be of any usual outline or size, it being a fact that the dogs are adapted to grip rails of different sizes within a reasonable limit.

1 have shown in the drawings and may prefor to employ a spring 3, located between the upper surface of the frame 7) and the under surface of the bar a, so as to fix the general relation of the frame and the dogs carried thereby to the bar, as the bar is the larger and heavier factor of the car-starter. I have shown in Fig. 3 and may prefer to employ springs 6 between the under surface of the frame b and the inner and upper ends of the dogs-0 (Z, although I do not limit myself to the use of any spring devices whatsoever.

In the application of the device the workman places the pointed end of the bar between the wheel of a car and the upper surface of the rail and thereafter moves the bar and frame with the dogs down against the track. In a normal position the dogs may hang by gravity with their lower jaw ends apart, so that they readily pass over or straddle the rail. As the frame and dogs are brought down upon the rail in a position of rest the upper and inner portions of the dogs bear upon the upper surface of the rail and the lower and jaw ends of the dogs come in preventing any slipping of the bar by the force applied thereto to move the car, and the greater this pressure the firmer the grip of the dogs upon the sides of the rail. The moment pressure is relieved the dogs swing and their grip upon the rail is loosened, and the said dogs and frame may be slid over the top of the rail along the same by a pressure upon the bar with each swinging movement by the attendant in moving the car. The frame and dogs thus perform the function of keeping the bar upon the rail and preventing the same falling to one side and, further, facilitate the operation of the attendant in moving the car by the fact that the bar is always in position for use and does not have to be placed in position after each swinging movement thereof and forward movement of the car.

The function performed by the spring 3 between the frame and the bar is, as heretofore stated, to maintain a given relation between the parts; but the function performed by the springs 6, that are within the frame I) and between the under surface of the same and the upper surfaces of the dogs, is to keep the dogs pressed away fromthe frame-that is. their adjacent upper portions moved outward and their jaw ends opened wider apart. The operation of the springs 6 is to more quickly effect a release of the dogs from the rail with the release of pressure upon the bar and permit a more ready removal of the frame from the rail; but it is a fact that the device works so readily and promptly without the springs that said springs form no necessary part of the invention, although they are advantageous to employ for the purposes specified.

From the drawing Fig. 1 it will be noticed that the upper edges of the pair of lugs 7 below the pivot 52 have been removed to make room for the spring 3, the free end of which bears upon connecting portions of the other pair of lugs 7 Fig. 2 shows the gravity position of rest and pressure, while Fig. 4 shows the rest position of the parts when springs 6 are employed and before the jaw ends of the dogs engage the sides of the rail. I have shown and prefer to employ ribs 8 on the outer portions of the dogs, which in their gravity position and when they are acted upon by the springs 6 become stops and bear against the edges of the frame 6 to limit the swing of the dogs in one direction.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car-starter, the combination with a bar a, of a frame 6, a pivot-pin for connecting the said frame to the bar at aconvenient point, lugs upon the under side of said frame, dogs pivoted to the said lugs transversely of the line of the bar, and coming above and at opposite sides of the rail and adapted to rest upon the rail when normally placed thereon, and to receive and grip the rail when pressure is applied to the bar.

2. The combination with the bar a, of a frame I) of rectangular form, lugs upon the upper surface of said frame receiving the bar a between them, a pivot-pin passing through the lugs and the bar for pivotally connecting the parts, a series of lugs formed on the under side of the frame, dogs 0, d in pairs of L or bell-crank-lever form, pivot-pins connecting said dogs to the lugs of said frame transversely to the line of the bar, so that the rail is adapted to be straddled and engaged by said dogs when pressure is applied.

3. The combination with the bar a, of a frame 5 of rectangular form, lugs upon the upper surface of said frame receiving the bar a between them, a pivot-pin passing through the lugs and the bar for pivotally connecting the parts, a spring 3 between the upper surface of the frame and the under surface of the bar, a series of lugs formed on the under side of the frame, dogs 0, cl in pairs of L or bellcrank-lever form, pivot-pins connecting said RY J. VOOLCOTT.

Vitnesses:

bro. 0. MARTIN, A. BRACKENRIDGE. 

